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TO: E. Carter Turner, Ph.D.
Faculty Senate President
FROM:Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D.
President
DATE:January 20, 2017
RE: Updated Response to 15-16.40
Motion re: Promotional Pay Raises
I have reviewed the motion by the Faculty Senate Resource Allocation Committee, passed April 28, 2016, recommending to increase the current promotional pay amounts by an additional $1,000 for Instructors being promoted to Assistant Professor, by $2,000 for Assistant Professor being promoted to Associate Professor, and by $3,000 for Associate Professor being promoted to Full Professor. The chart below reflects a summary of the recommendation with dollar and percent changes included:
Rank From / Rank To / Current Rate / Proposed Rate / Change ($) / Change (%)Instructor / Assistant Professor / $2,500 / $3,500 / $1,000 / 28.55%
Assistant Professor / Associate Professor / $3,500 / $5,500 / $2,000 / 36.36%
Associate Professor / Full Professor / $5,000 / $8,000 / $3,000 / 37.50%
Retaining current faculty and attracting new faculty are both critical elements of Radford University’s success as an institution. While the University’s objective is to strive to move toward the 60th percentile for faculty of the IPEDS peer group, considering available resources and how they must materialize is critical. The implementation of this recommendation would have required additional salary funding of $56,000 in Fiscal Year 2016 and $58,000 in Fiscal Year 2017. While in isolation, these amounts do not appear to be unattainable; however,they are significant inthe current fiscal environment in which we operate.
Given the importance of this initiative, I will allocate new funding to support the revised rates proposed by the Faculty Senate for future promotions starting with the upcoming 2017-2018 academic year. Such revised rates will be effective July 1, 2017 and will not impact those receiving promotions during the remainder of the 2016-2017 academic year. Retroactive awards will not be provided for previous promotions. Additionally, the new rates may result insalary compression within the departments of those receiving the revised rates. No funding would be made available to address any salary issues, which would be an unintended consequence of funding this Faculty Senate request.
In general, all motions that have a funding impact should be evaluated by the Provost in consultation with the Deans and considered for inclusion in future budget calls. By submitting recommendations as a part of budget development for Academic Affairs, Faculty Senate initiatives can be considered and prioritized with other division priorities.
Please share this updated response with the full Faculty Senate. I hope this investment is well received and demonstrates the University’s commitment to addressing faculty compensation issues. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter in greater detail if additional information is requested.